Mike Johnson Re-elected as US Speaker in Close Vote

Razor-thin Margin Highlights Potential Fissures Among Trump's Republicans on Capitol Hill

- REUTERS

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was re-elected to the chamber's top job on Jan 3 by a razor-thin margin that highlighted potential fissures among President-elect Donald Trump's Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Johnson appeared to initially fall short of the majority he would need to retain his job in a roll-call vote that lasted nearly two hours, but two Republican opponents switched their votes to support him after lengthy negotiations, with at least one reporting receiving a call from Trump himself.

He won re-election with 218 votes - the minimum number needed. Republicans control the chamber by a razor-thin 219-215 majority.

Following the vote, Mr. Johnson vowed to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which are due to expire in 2025, and roll back regulations.

"We're going to drastically cut back the size and scope of government," he said.

Other big challenges will loom, including addressing the nation's more than US$36 trillion (S$49.3 trillion) in debt, which Congress will need to act on later in 2025.

The vote on Jan 3 was an early test of Republicans' ability to hang together as they advance Trump's agenda of tax cuts and border enforcement.

It also tested Trump's clout on Capitol Hill, where a handful of Republicans have already shown a willingness to defy him.

House Republicans have been racked by internal divisions over the last two years. Mr. Johnson was elevated to Speaker after the party ousted his predecessor, Mr. Kevin McCarthy, in the middle of his term.